Lowering apparatus.



L. P/ADAMS.

LOWERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATYON-FILED JAN-9. l9l7.

PatentedSept. 24,1918.

L. RAdwms, I

up; Aii.

LEONARD r. ADAMS, or onannnvorx, trier-EGA Lownanve APPARATUS.

To all whomlit may concern Be itknown that I, LEONARD P. ADAMS, a

.citizen of the United States, and resident of Charlevoix, Mich, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lowering "Apparatus, of which the-following is a specl- The invention relates to means for lowering an object gradually and is particularly ZLClitPtQd for use as a fire-escape for individua s.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts here-V inafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

.In the drawings; j

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of. the apparatus.

' Fig. 2 is a view looking from the right of Fig. 1 of a part of the mechanism there shown.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views of details.

In carrying out the invention I employ a may be attached for supporting the body or person to be lowered. This drum has its shaft mounted at one end in a casing 4 and its other end is mounted in a casing 5, which latter may be attached to the wall of a building by bolts 6. The two casings are bolted to to each other as at 7. The shaft 8 of the drum has a crank 9 by which the cable may be wound by turning the drum. The shaft 8 at its inner end carries a gear 10 meshing with a small gear 11 on the shaft 12, which bears in the frames 4 and 5 and the inner end of this shaft carries the governor mechanism.

One object of the invention is to provide a governor mechanism of simple and inexpensive construction which will be eflicient in use and present a high degree of durability and strength. This governor mechanism is arranged in the recess of the casing 5 and between said casing and the wall of the building and it comprises an arm 13 fixed to the inner end of the shaft 12 and extending radially from said shaft in opposite directions. This arm carries weighted members 14, which are pivotally mounted on the arm at 15 and are adapted to move outwardly under the influence of centrifugal force when a sufliciently high speed of rota- 7 tion of the arm 13 is attained to overcome the tension of springs 16, secured to the.

Application filed January 9,1917. Serial No. 141,450.

. Specification of Letters Batent. Patgnted Sept, 1918 weighted arms and'to the brake shoe 20 hereinafter referred to. A flange or supples: mental casing 17, is held within and bolted to the casing 5, for which purpose the rim is provided with lugs or ears 18 through which bolts 19 pass, these'bolts being threaded into the casing g I also utilize the arm 13 as a carrier for. the friction restraining shoes and theseshoes consist simply of non-resilient armsor mem'-' bers 20 carrying wearing pieces 21 of fiber or like material, the said shoeshaving extensions 21 pivotally connected at 22 to the arms 13'. p I.

For this purpose the arms 13 have lateral extensions 24, these projecting to one side of the radial planes in which the pivots 15 of the centrifugal members or weights are located. This brings the pivots 15' and 22 close together and provides for a long brakeshoe which extends substantially from the pivoted end of one weighted member to the. pivoted end of the other weighted member. The brake shoes however, are pivoted only at one end and each has its free end adjacent the pivoted end of the opposite centrifugal member or weight and this free end is borne upon by a finger 23 formed of an extension of the weighted lever near the pivot thereof but on the opposite side of said pivot from theweighted portion 24 of said member. The finger 23 has a face substantially radial") to the axis of the arm 13 and it bears squarely against the plain end face of the brake shoe.

It will now be seen from a consideration ofFig. 2 that when the arm 13 attains a oer-- tain speed of rotation the weights 24 will fly outwardly under centrifugal force and the fingers 23 of said weighted members by exerting pressure on the ends of the shoes 20, will move the said shoes outwardly about their pivots 22 and cause the wearing faces of said shoes to bear upon the inner face of the ring or rim 17, and thus the rotation of the arm 13 will be retarded and regulated to prevent too rapid unwinding of the cable, this being due to the fact that, as above stated, the cable drum is geared to the parts or depth to extend substantially over the entire inner face of the rim or brake surface 17, the pivoted ends of said shoes being reduced to overlie the laterally turned ends of the arms 13.

It will be observed that the apparatus can be readily assembled and mounted.

The springs 16 serve both as retaining means for the weighted members 14 and also as means for holding the brake shoes normally free from the friction b 'ake surface of the member 17 7 What I claim is 1. In combination, a shaft, a member mounted thereon and rotating therewith and having arms extending radially therefrom. in opposite directions, one of said arms having its end extending laterally from the main body of the arm in one direction and the other arm having its end extending laterally in the other direction, a non flexible brake shoe pivotally mounted at one end only on each of said lateral extensions and having an unattached portion reaching around to a point adjacent the outer end of the other arm, a weighted member pivoted near the lateral extension of each arm, each of said weighted members having a finger extending out beyond its pivot, and the lateral extension, and bearing upon the free end of the brake shoe pivoted to the other arm of the rotary member and a fixed rim against which the brake shoes hear when they are moved outwardly, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a shaft, a member mounted thereon and rotating therewith and havin arms extending radially therefrom in opposite directions, one of said arms having its end extending laterally from the main body of the arm in one direction and the other arm having its end extending laterally in the other direction a non flexible brake shoe pivotally mounted at one end only on each of said lateral extensions and having an unattached portion reaching around to a point adjacent the outer end of the other arm, a weighted member pivoted near the lateral extension of each arm, each of said weighted members having a finger extending out beyond its pivot, and the lateral extensions, and bearing upon the free end of the brake shoe pivoted to the other arm of the rotary member and a fixed rim against which the brake shoes bear when they are moved outwardly, and springs connecting each weight with the non flexible brake shoe individual thereto and operated thereby, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

LEONARD P. ADAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

